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22.12.17

reply from Tanya Plibersek Labor to letter sent 13 August 2017 - another death on Manus Island

From: Plibersek, Tanya (MP)

Sent: Friday, December 22, 2017 12:37 PM

To: 'Mike'

Subject: RE: Another death on Manus Island

Dear Mike

I want to thank you
for contacting me about refugee policy, and in particular the current situation
on Manus Island. Let me also apologise for taking so long to get back to you.
During this busy time I have been receiving a large volume of emails and while
I am able to read them all and note the issues raised, I am not always able to
respond as promptly as I would like.

I too am deeply
concerned about the situation on Manus Island. It is completely unacceptable
and the government has completely failed these refugees and asylum seekers.
Under the Liberals, there have been delays, chaos, and secrecy. The generous
offer from New Zealand has been on the table for three years now. Mr
Turnbull should accept it.

I have publicly
stated my concern that the government should respond to the increasing tension following
the closure of the Regional Processing Centre, and act urgently to ensure the
safety and wellbeing of the refugees and asylum seekers on Manus. Instead of
taking responsibility, Immigration Minister Peter Dutton is blaming refugees
and their advocates. Malcolm Turnbull must step in to ensure refugees have
immediate access to essential services – including security, health and welfare
services - and safe resettlement.

The Turnbull
government has been woefully incompetent in finding new permanent homes for
refugees.

In government Labor
had initiated a proper regional resettlement system which would have begun with
asylum seekers living and working in Malaysia, with their children going to
school and with proper health care, and Australia taking more refugees from the
region. The Liberals prevented that from happening.

The people on Manus
and Nauru have been in limbo for far too long. Manus Island and Nauru were set
up as temporary transit facilities, but have become places of indefinite detention
because of the failure of the Turnbull government to negotiate third country
resettlement options.

I'm also very
concerned about the local community on Manus Island. Tensions are on the rise,
including because of the lack of consultation prior to the proposed movement of
refugees and asylum seekers. It is worrying that UNHCR representatives say that
facilities for the men within the local community are still under construction,
do not have water or electricity connected and have limited capacity. This puts
great pressure on the local community.

I have recently
released a statement calling on Peter Dutton to answer very serious questions
about new reports asylum seekers and refugees in Nauru have had medical
treatment and transfers delayed by bureaucracy, including patients with breast
lumps, kidney stones and neurological damage. These are serious allegations
that cannot go unanswered.

•
Establish a children’s advocate to create a strong voice within government,
independent of the Department of Immigration and Border Protection and backed
by administrative resources and statutory powers to advocate for the interests
of children seeking asylum and work to have children out of detention;

•
Legislate to impose mandatory reporting of any child abuse in all facilities.
There should be absolutely no doubt that staff, including medical contractors
working in these facilities, not only have the freedom to report abuse, but
have a legal obligation to do so; and

•
Ensure that people working in the immigration system can safely speak out about
abuse, maladministration and corruption.

Labor’s policy is to
make sure that refugee claims are processed quickly and fairly. We would
restore access to the Refugee Review Tribunal, and re-instate the ‘90-day rule’
for reporting on the progress of refugee claims.

Labor will also
abolish Temporary Protection Visas which currently keep people in an unfair
permanent state of limbo, and place those people found to be refugees on
permanent protection visas.

Last election, Labor
announced a commitment to do more to address the global humanitarian
crisis. This included increasing Australia’s humanitarian refugee intake
to 27,000 per year by 2025 with a portion of the program dedicated to
resettling refugees from the region.

At a time when the
global humanitarian need is greater than ever, Labor also committed to
providing $450 million over three years to support the important work of the
UNHCR.

Labor will restore
references to the UN Refugee Convention in the Migration Act and take a
leadership role within South East Asia and the Pacific to build a regional
humanitarian framework for asylum seekers. This will include supporting the
UNHCR in providing health and education services to asylum seekers and advocating
for work rights for asylum seekers.

Earlier this month we
learned of yet another death of an asylum seeker on Manus Island. Hamid
Shamshiripoor was just 31 years old, and had spent more than three years on
Manus Island as a result of the Labor government’s pronouncement four years ago
that no asylum seekers arriving by boat would ever be resettled in Australia.
It is not clear whether or not this poor young man, who was entitled to our
protection, was murdered or committed suicide. No matter, he is now dead.

We do know that he
had serious mental health problems.

We do know that his
fellow detainees pleaded in writing to the authorities in the detention
centre for Hamid to receive treatment for his illness.

We do know that,
instead of receiving treatment, Hamid was often imprisoned , bashed, moved
around, and was finally homeless.

We do know that his
case was referred to the Australian Border Force’s chief medical officer some
twelve months ago.

We do know that he
did not receive the care that he needed, and that he was entitled to.

We do know that
nobody in authority cares. And that includes your Party.

And we do know that the Labor party, and you in particular,
remains silent about these gross abuses of the human rights of refugees, for
purely political purposes.

When will the Labor
party rediscover its heart, it’s soul and its principles? The party that I
belonged to for more than 30 years cared about the vulnerable, the
underprivileged, and about those in need. Not any more.